The present invention relates to remote engineering diagnostic and analysis networking, and more specifically to a system for acquiring information from many locations, processing it and transmitting processing information to various locations which may include some or all of the information supplying locations.
There are numerous systems for acquiring information from many remote locations and processing the information. These include activities in almost every manufacturing field, from food processing to auto manufacture. Remote monitoring capabilities have been developed in all cases to maintain and improve the quality of the produce, to improve the safety of the process, to reduce waste, and to use labor more efficiently.
Machine actions or measures that can be remotely monitored include: movement; storage quantity or level; machinery operation; valve position; pipeline flow; and weight. Physical or chemical measures that can be remotely monitored include: temperature; pressure, pH; dissolved oxygen, metallic ions; specific conductance in liquids; and gasses.
Specific measuring points in processes include: liquid levels in tanks; liquid flow in pipes; air flow in ducts; motors in operation or not; total or differential pressures in fluid systems; presence or concentration of explosive or other gasses; weights of solid material moving on conveyor belts; as well as all of the chemical measures noted above; from all process points determined to be critical.
Operations monitoring can be done by means of continuous automatic reading instrumentation and by intermittent readings reported automatically or manually. The monitoring data can be delivered to various points by direct wire or by phone line, and various alarm points or threshold values can be built in to the data collection devices. All of the above capabilities are currently available.
Additionally, other systems have been developed that allow xe2x80x9cteleconferencingxe2x80x9d by means of closed circuit television and phone connections operating both ways between, or among remotely located parties. This type of communication is used both for information exchange among parties on particular subjects of concern, and for training without the expense of travel by the trainer or trainees to a central location. This capability is currently available in various forms.
Finally, many systems have been developed and are available for picturing objects and/or areas with TV cameras and transmitting the imaging by closed circuits of various types for security, or other reasons.
As noted above, various types of remote monitoring of operations are currently in use for a variety of purposes; however, there does not appear to be a system available that unites all of the types of process monitoring and storing inputs that are available, with capabilities for either remote on-line conferencing or training in real time, with data and image storage, retrieval, and manipulation capabilities, which uses a secure internet service for communication.
The uniting of all of these various aspects of a process into one comprehensive and structured platform, where the process is then amenable to modern management standards and practices such as ISO 9000, ISO 14000, and QS 9000 for the auto industry, is believed to be unique in the REDAN concept. All of these standards require a comprehensive and continuing monitoring of all the critical aspects of an operation, maintenance of records, capabilities for seeking continual improvement, management review, operating personnel training, and auditability by the owner, and other organizations and stakeholders.
A site with operations to be examined, controlled and monitored is equipped with an on-site PC, various appropriate automatic process monitoring sensors relaying data directly to the PC, imaging equipment relaying visual data to the PC, and data entry and retrieval equipment for manually entering data and/or reviewing data already entered to the PC. The on-site PC is equipped with a computer program (software) which allows it to receive the incoming data and images from the site, manipulate the date appropriately, and transmit them to a network server. The software installed in the on-site PC allows signals to be relayed from the network server through it to various appropriate mechanisms or signal devices installed at the site, or elsewhere, as well as data and images displayed at the operating site PC to the operating personnel there.
A site or sites with an interest in examining and monitoring operations at remote operating site or sites is each equipped with PC""s equipped with software that allows data and images from the remote operating site(s) to be retrieved from the server, examined and/or diagnosed and analyzed, and allows an interested site(s) to send appropriate signals to the remote operating site(s), as well as data and images to be displayed at the PC of the operating site(s) to the operating personnel there.
An appropriate site (not necessarily either operating sites or interested sites) contains the server, which is equipped with software to allow it to receive, manipulate, store and transmit data and images to and from both remote operating sites and interested sites, and allows access to the software by computer network technical managers (network engineers) to maintain the system software.
Other features, objects and advantages of the present invention, together with the best means contemplated by the inventor thereof for carrying out the invention will become more apparent from reading the following description of a preferred embodiment and perusing the associated drawings in which: